Rikai
by CrescentMoonTenshi
Summary: "Rikai." It means, "understanding." It is also a Ghost Hunt OST specifically tailored into this fic as Mai reflects on the past six years and struggles to bring her makeshift family back together. Just as everything seems right in the world, everything crashes down once more. But this time, it isn't the SPR Irregulars' faults. Then who? Birthday oneshot for Mai. Crescent T.


** Happy birthday to our favorite astral-walker, Taniyama Mai! I'll be tying this to the sequel of Requiem of the Restless Souls, but you can read this on its own too. There are no references or anything (the sequel hasn't even come out yet!), so no worries.**

** Read on!**

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**Oneshot: Rikai**

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**Normal POV**

Mai set down her glass, tracing a finger around the rim over and over again and listening to the gentle whistle the action created. The sphere shaped ice cube clinked once against the glass.

It was quiet.

Predictably, the place was deserted. The furniture was exactly where it was left, untouched except for the dusting and cleaning. A small, dim lamp was lit in the corner, giving Mai enough light to scan the room but still remain shrouded in darkness.

She had stopped coming here years ago.

But it was strange. Even after leaving the club she and her friends had went to, Mai stopped here, deciding to have one last drink. It was almost as though she had been pulled here by some invisible force beckoning her inside. Her instinct, perhaps? Probably not. She had stopped listening to it a long time ago.

As she sat alone in the dimly lit room, memories she had pushed back flooded her mind in a powerful whoosh. She could literally see faded images of herself cheerfully scurrying around, talking to her friends, watching them laugh from her place at her desk. It was probably her drink that allowed her to see this.

Oh, but they had all left her too. They had remained close for a few years after _that, _but as time passed, someone was always busy. School, show, concert, surgery, children... Ah, the children. Mai remembered when she had helped with them herself. They grew up eventually though, and fewer children ever came around. Eventually, she was told she wasn't needed anymore.

She understood, though, and it wasn't as though any of them were getting paid for their services. No, the kids came by, left, grew up, left, it was all a cycle too unreliable for payment. Mai left without remorse, heading out to find another member of SPR to hang out with. John, the church, Father Tojo, and the children didn't need her around anymore.

Ever since then, she hadn't seen much of John.

Ayako came around eventually, checking on her 'daughter' every once in a while and taking them out. Every time was different, shopping or movies or eating out... it had been fun. Eventually however, Ayako couldn't come around much. She had gotten engaged to Bou-san (of course). They spent a lot of time together planning out their wedding.

Sometimes, to Mai's delight, they asked her to help out when they both came around to visit her. She couldn't be happier trying to help out her makeshift family. Unsurprisingly, the wedding had been fantastic. They had all made it, pushing aside college, TV shows, and other things. Mai's best idea was getting John to conduct the wedding. The priest couldn't say no, and ended up getting permission from the church.

That was the last time they had all been together, almost three years ago. Mai still thought the wedding was incomplete however, when she sent three pale, yellow, envelopes to England.

One for Madoka, Lin, and _him_ of course.

Unsurprisingly, the only one who made it was Madoka. She spent most of the time she was here apologizing on Lin's and _his_ behalf for not making it. They knew Lin would've come if he could, because they considered him a friend. But with _him_, they hadn't accepted any excuse.

Nevertheless, the wedding went well. They had even met Bou-san's and Ayako's parents for the first time. Ayako's mother and Bou-san's father were not happy with SPR, predictably enough. Both had had enough of watching their children run around exorcising ghosts with a group of amateurs or lower class children.

It was Mai who had reassured them that SPR had closed down years ago, and that no one was solving anymore cases besides their favorite TV medium. The Irregulars had watched in shock as she spoke to them with a bittersweet smile and soft tone.

Mai took another sip of her drink and poured another glass. The newlyweds had a long honeymoon, and SPR scattered again. With this constant flow of come and go, Mai had matured. She still was as cheerful, kind, caring, and as childish as she was long ago, but it was a bit more subdued, almost as though she were in thought most of the time.

She had grown taller, and her hair a bit longer. She had matured nicely, with a smooth hourglass figure that could allow her to pass for a model. But with her ordinary clothing and the fact that she rarely wore makeup, she seemed quite plain. The woman didn't mind though, cheerfully going about her own business and making ends meet.

Moving had been easy too. With all the money she made because of her job, she had found a fancy apartment to herself with three bedrooms, a bar to the side, and a penthouse-like window view. The smallest bedroom she had converted into an office, the largest for herself, and the last a guest bedroom for SPR visits. After all, she lived a long way from the Shibuya district now, almost as far as Yasu had before college.

Yasu was now doing work himself. He visited Mai every once in a while, relieving them both of stress as they joked together like old times. They watched TV a lot, and had caught small news here and there about famous parapsychologist Dr. Oliver Davis, at which they would sit quietly for hours on end in thought.

Oliver never came back. After finding Gene, he had returned to England and continued his work there. Gene disappeared from the Astral Plane as well, but Mai couldn't find it in herself to be angry at that. She was glad he had moved on so easily after being found, if not a bit sad and lonely.

After SPR had been handed to Madoka, Mai had been trained to control her abilities. She could now use them at will, but her instinct was not something to be controlled at all. Madoka had instructed her to find her own solution there, and she decided to just stop listening to it.

Now, for some reason, she sat here completely alone again. She and Masako had gotten together a while ago for the sake of a girls' night out. With their common object of affection no longer between them, they learned to be civil to each other, and were now quite good friends. Masako still quipped at her here and there with some comment, and Mai would come back with a clever answer. It only seemed like harmless teasing to them now, despite the fact that the people around them thought their comments about each other were a bit _too_ harsh for jokes.

Now Mai was just waiting to see when Masako would leave her too, even though she didn't seem to be getting any distant from her. The medium had stopped doing TV shows recently, and now came by to see Mai almost every week. It was a bit refreshing, really.

The brunette glanced at the time on her dying smartphone, the bright light of the screen momentarily blinding her. It proudly announced that it was well past three am on her birthday. There was no way of getting home unless she called someone. No trains and no taxi without any cash on her.

_Oh well, _she cheerfully thought, downing the last of her bourbon and capping the bottle. She stretched and lied down on the sofa, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. _I'll crash here for tonight and clean up in the morning. I should take the train and spend tomorrow at home. I'll even invite Masako and Ayako to the spa. God knows they both need a chance to chillax._

Mai got up again, going to lock the door and turn out the light for the night. She searched the place for a spare blanket, knowing that with how often she had fallen asleep here and found a blanket on her shoulders, it would be hidden away somewhere. She found it soon enough and made her way back to the sofa. With the alcohol dulling her senses, it wasn't difficult to fall asleep at all.

* * *

Masako impatiently pressed a small button next to the glass doors leading into Mai's apartment building. She listened to the buzzing sound and waited for the brunette to answer as she stood under her shelter from the rain.

When the girl didn't answer, Masako pulled out her phone. She frowned a few moments later as Mai's voicemail came on. The brunette rarely ever missed a phone call to her cell unless something was going on. Just as Masako was going to buzz again, the security guard who sat in a small room with a large glass window stepped out. The small office was in between the outer doors and the doors that led to the lobby.

"Ah, I knew I recognized you." He tipped his hat at her as he let her inside from the wind and rain. "You're always visiting Taniyama-san, right?"

Masako looked up at the man. "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

The man chuckled. "The whole building knows Taniyama-san. She's a little famous here for being such an angel to everybody."

"Oh really?" Masako hummed.

"Yeah..." The man smiled down at her. "Anyway, are you looking for her again today?"

Masako nodded. "She doesn't seem to be answering her door."

The man pursed his lips in thought. "Hmm... now that I think about it, she left last night with a few other girls all dressed up. She hasn't been back since."

The twenty one year old pushed a strand of her hair back. Unlike Mai, she had kept hers short. "Oh, I think I know where she is, now. Thank you so much."

The man nodded at her. "You're welcome."

With that, Masako left the building, immediately pulling out her phone again. She quickly called Michiru, one of the friends Masako knew Mai would've left with last night. She had become friends with her a bit too as they all grouped together to go out.

"Good morning, Michiru."

"Hiya, Masako-chan! What's up?"

"I'm looking for Mai, and the security man in her building told me she went out last night. Was she with you guys?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment. "Yeah, she was. We were taking her out for her birthday. We were gonna invite you too, but Mai told us you weren't the type to go to clubs and that she'd invite you to a spa or something later."

"Oh, okay." Masako nodded in understanding, not at all hurt by Mai's actions. It was true that she didn't enjoy clubbing. The pounding music and sweaty bodies only served to give her a headache. "Do you remember what happened afterwards?"

Michiru was quiet for a moment longer. "Actually, when we were passing through Shibuya to get to my house, she suddenly told all of us to go on ahead."

"All of us?"

"Yeah. Keiko, Taka, Chiaki, and even Kuroda tagged along last night."

"Oh. Shibuya, you say?"

"Yeah. That's where. She just told us she was stopping at one more place before she headed home. Why, what's up?"

Masako frowned. "She didn't come home last night, but I think I know where she is now. Thanks for your help."

"Oh, okay. No problem. See you later?" Michiru replied, knowing full well that Masako would be able to return Mai safe and sound.

"Hmm. I don't see why not. I'm not busy today, and I was going to take Mai out later. Are you bored again?"

"I've got no one to hang out with." Michiru admitted, deadpanning at the fact that Masako could read her like a children's book.

"You're always so eager to go out." Masako teased as she hailed a taxi.

She slipped inside the cab and told the driver where she wanted to go before turning her attention back to Michiru.

"Of course I'm eager! I don't have a guy to go on a date with, and there's no work today. All of the things I had piled up to do this weekend are already done because I didn't want to wake up with a killer hangover and do them this morning." Michiru worked as a fashion designer with a brand name company, having joined them a few years back. She had skillfully climbed the company ladder, and was now the owner's right hand advisor.

Keiko had gone into medical work, and Masako had set her up to shadow Ayako a few years back. Now she worked as a head nurse. The medium believed it suited her quiet but caring demeanor.

Taka had found her passion in photography, and sold her pictures all over the country. She was a bit famous for her landscape ones that could easily be blown up and framed on a wall. Or the ones that musicians bought from her for album covers. After her obsession with 'Norio,' Masako had known the girl wouldn't stray too far from music.

Both Chiaki and Kuroda had a rough start as they chose to become reporters for rival companies. Their friendship had been hard at first, but now they used the rivalry as a way to make each other push past their limits. You never found them _not_ teasing each other and trying to one up the other.

The taxi stopped in front of the old cafe and Masako paid the cabbie before stepping out. She told Michiru they would meet up later with everyone one more time for Mai's birthday before hanging up.

Masako was bored herself. Now that her TV show had ended, she was in a relaxing period. Hanging out with Mai seemed to pass the time for her.

Sometimes Mai was busy herself with her work. A few years after Oliver returned to England, the brunette had gone into writing. She had ended up with a light novel series that, surprisingly enough, had been a huge hit. Soon, the girl had mangakas lined up at her door, begging permission to be able to draw up her stories.

The name of the series was _Ghost Hunt. _

She caved in with someone eventually, and now the manga series was being cranked out and sold in every teenager's favorite shops. There were even rumors out there that an animation studio was interested in picking up the story and converting it to an anime.

If that was true, Mai would end up making millions.

Masako frowned as she climbed the stairs and made it to the door. She reached into the mailbox and pulled out the spare key before unlocking it. Stepping in, the bell above her head rang and Masako locked the door behind her.

"Mai," She called as she walked through the familiar halls, her chest clenched tightly. "Where are-" She stopped dead as her eyes landed on the brunette snoring away peacefully on the couch.

Masako rolled her eyes and grabbed the glass still sitting on the table. As an afterthought, she picked up the bottle of bourbon too, and put it away in the kitchenette.

Quietly, she filled the cup with water and came back to Mai. She stared at the girl for a long moment. At first she was going to give the girl water for the headache she was undoubtedly going to wake up with, but she changed her mind.

"This is for all the trouble you caused by making me search for you." Masako said loudly before dumping the water over Mai's head. "Wake up!"

The brunette gasped for air once as she scrambled off of the couch and straightened up. "I swear I wasn't asleep!"

"Liar," Masako accused. "You were snoring away like a baby!"

Mai wiped her eyes and face with her hands as she glared at the medium before her. "You're so mean! How could you just dump water all over me?!"

Masako smirked lightly. "Well Mai, I believe that's what you're supposed to do when you wake up a troublemaker."

"I didn't do anything!"

` "How about making me run around town just to find you?"

"No one asked you to." Mai grumbled, crossing her arms.

"I won't be buying dessert for you today as punishment." Masako huffed and put her nose up in the air.

"Eh?! Masako, please don't do that! I really didn't mean to stay here so long!"

"What happened then?" Masako looked at the girl, eyes brimming with curiosity.

"I was thinking a little, but I lost track of time. When I looked it was already past three in the morning. There was no way I could take a train that late since they're not running."

"And a taxi?"

Mai blushed. "I-I didn't have any money on me..."

"Stupid."

"Hey!"

"You should've called me. I could've picked you up."

"At three in the morning? I didn't think I should."

"Who cares what time it is, Mai? You never rely on any of us when you actually need help anymore."

"What do you mean...?"

"When Oliver left you clammed up all on your own. You were literally broken, but you didn't ask for help from anyone until I found out you weren't working. To the rest of us, you seemed perfectly fine working with John at the church, if not a little depressed because of Oliver." Masako explained. "We all decided to give you some space so that you could heal, and the children were proving to be a great distraction for you."

Mai stared; slack jawed at the girl before her. "You guys did that for me?" She whispered hoarsely. "I didn't want to be all alone! To me it looked like everyone was just leaving me! First Naru and Lin, and then John told me to leave. Ayako came around every once in a while, but then she and Bou-san got married, and they left me alone too! Yasu came by, but for some reason he doesn't come anymore! Now you're here, but I'm just waiting for you to leave too!"

Masako didn't even know she had moved until a crack resounded through the room and Mai was holding her cheek. "We did it because we thought it would be too painful for you to see us. We thought you would just keep remembering Oliver. We would never leave you alone, Mai! We kept coming back once in a while _because _we didn't want to!"

The girls stared at each other for a long time.

"So you guys aren't actually too busy to hang out with me?"

"No, of course not! Monk and Ayako, maybe a little bit because they're trying to make peace between the families this year in order to make their announcement about the baby, but everyone else? Absolutely not." Masako answered.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Mai." Masako replied in an exasperated tone. "_Every time_ we meet up, all you can here is Yasu and Bou-san complaining that you're not there with us! It makes us sad, but we just wanted to give you some room to breathe, Mai." Masako went on in a quieter, shyer voice. "We just didn't want to hurt you."

Suddenly, Mai was squeezing the very life out of her, sobbing and wailing like a child.

All Masako could feel was the weight of the wrong decision she had made suggesting they give Mai space.

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"Hello, Michiru?"

"Hey, what's up?"

"I'm sorry, but Mai and I have got to take a rain check today. We've some unfinished business to take care of with a few people."

"Oh really? Too bad. Maybe next weekend?"

"Yeah, if nothing comes up, next weekend would be great."

"Ok. Is Mai alright?"

"...Yeah, she's fine. We're just going to fix a mistake I made a few years back..."

"You'll be fine, _believe_ me. It doesn't matter how far you go down the wrong road. You can always make a U-turn, Masako-chan."

"Thank, Michiru."

"See you next weekend."

"Okay."

Masako sent a group message to her makeshift family:

_Game's over. Meet at cafe under SPR ASAP._

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An hour later, Mai and Masako sat together at a large table, telling the waitress that they were expecting four more people.

Yasu was first to arrive, and silently sat down, avoiding Mai's gaze. John was next, and he met Mai's with an apologetic look. Ayako and Bou-san arrived together, whispering to each other furiously and stopping once they were in ear shot of the table.

"So," Mai began. "I'm really disappointed in you all." They winced. "After all of these years, you still don't know that no matter what, I hate to be alone, even if it's for my own benefit." They looked up guiltily. "I should tell you that your plan backfired. Instead of allowing me to heal, you guys made me feel like I was completely unwanted and alone. After Naru and Lin left, you all left me one by one."

"We're sorry, Mai." Bou-san spoke up. "We didn't think you would take it that way."

Mai nodded. "I thought you were too busy for me at first. But as I grew older, I just let it be. I'm not that weak little Mai from high school, and I wanted to let you know that, but you never gave me a chance. I was really hurt when Naru left, I won't lie. I told him what I wanted to and he shot me down, but I don't hate him for it. Sure, I'm a little bitter about _how_ he did it, that jerk, but I'm older now. I'm twenty two today, and Masako will be on the 24th."

She sent a smile to her medium friend. "We're the youngest in SPR. That means you can't keep treating us like high school students anymore. I will always be Mai, _your_ Mai, but I'm stronger now, and I hope you realize that." The brunette finished, taking in a deep breath.

"At the same time, I want to thank you." SPR looked up in shock at the brunette as she smiled brightly. "If you had all babied me when Naru went back to England, I probably wouldn't be the same person I am today. I'm so proud to call you my family because you all stuck together and tried to find a way to make everyone happy, like a real family does. Because of that, I'm not angry at anyone. I'm a little jealous you guys got to bond more without me, but that's about it." Mai shrugged with a small laugh.

The Irregulars laughed with her. "Really Mai, we're so sorry. When Masako asked us what we would do to help you feel better, we thought for a long time and thought that it would be best if we just let you breathe." John said. "No one really wanted to just stop seeing you. It wasn't the same without you here smiling and making us tea." He joked a bit, eyes twinkling with relief and mirth. "But we didn't want to be selfish."

Mai smiled. "You guys all owe me desserts and an outing with you to make up for lost time. Those are my requirements!" The brunette grinned, putting her hands on her hips.

Masako suddenly slapped her upside the head. "All you ever think about is dessert anymore!" She grumbled as the girl's head landed on the table with a bang.

SPR burst into laughter, some of it full of relief for finally getting their Mai back.

As Bou-san and Ayako calmed, the redhead squeezed her husband's hand and gave him a look. "Um guys, there's something we should tell you."

The Irregulars quieted and turned their attention to the eldest people in the group. Mai rubbed her forehead and grumbled under her breath about unnaturally strong tea dolls before looking up.

"What's up?" Yasu asked.

Bou-san shifted uncomfortably. "I hate to put a damper on all of this since we're all finally together again, but..."

"Spit it out, Bou-san." Masako said in a dry tone, not one for beating around the bush.

"Remember how I said I've been keeping in touch with Lin?"

Mai cocked a brow as everyone else nodded. "Really?"

Bou-san nodded, scratching the back of his head and chuckling nervously. "Yeah, actually. We all love you lots Mai, but we were still worried about Naru-bou, even though we were angry. I mean, we could all tell that he held some type of fondness for you, and we were wondering if he was in the same state you were."

Mai leaned forward, a bit put off by her family's actions, but curious at the same time. "And? Was he?"

Bou-san grinned. "Get this; Lin said he noticed that Naru-bou never really adjusted to being back in England. He thinks Naru-bou really misses being in Japan."

"Pffft, no way! It's Naru we're talking about."

"I'm serious! I mean, there's no way Lin could be wrong. Those two could communicate with their _eyes_! Do you really think that Lin wouldn't be able to tell when Naru-bou is depressed?"

"Ah-" Mai made a face in deep thought, remembering cases where Naru would look at Lin, Lin would nod, and something would happen that both were totally prepared for when no one else was.

"You see?" He said. "And he told me that Naru-bou hasn't touched a cup of tea since leaving here. That's almost six years, Mai. Can you think of any reason why Naru-bou wouldn't drink tea for _six years_?"

The brunette frowned. "Why hasn't the world ended yet?" She asked dramatically.

"Don't you get it, Mai? No one makes tea like you do!" Ayako exclaimed. "Obviously, after having your tea for so long every other cup just tastes horrible."

Mai blushed. "Sure, sure, whatever you say. Now why did you bring up Lin?"

Bou-san shifted uncomfortably. "Well... he called." He said quietly, leaning in and watching as everyone else followed his lead. "He asked if we wanted to work again, but I said Ayako couldn't go on cases, being pregnant and all. I said I was free though, and Lin was like, 'Good.'"

"Why?" Someone asked.

"That's what I said." Bou-san replied. "Guys, he told me something I didn't think I would ever hear."

Mai shifted fearfully. "What is it?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He's coming back."

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**Thanks for reading! If you liked this, please don't be afraid to read my story, Requiem for the Restless Souls and leave a review. **

** I appreciate that you took the time to read.**

**~Crescent T.**


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